The first adhesive*
postage stamp was used in Great Britain in 1840. At the time, the
British post office was having trouble collecting revenue. The
comparatively high rates for mailing caused people to use alternate
services; members of Parliament had a franking privilege (a service
allowing them free mail services); and non-Parliamentary mail users
were few. Since postage was not prepaid and was collected on delivery,
a lot of mail was refused, so the post office lost revenue.

Mr. Rowland Hill, a retired schoolteacher, proposed an
overhaul of the entire postal system. His proposal was to end the
franking privilege; to establish uniform rates, regardless of distance
but dependent on weight; and to require the prepayment of postage or to
collect double rates on mail sent collect. His conclusions were based
on an analysis of the high cost of bookkeeping and other administrative
overhead for the collect-on-delivery system. Actual delivery costs were
only a small fraction of the total cost of running the post office. His
proposals led to revolutionary postal reform.

The adhesive postage stamp was created to signify the
prepayment of postage by attaching it to the mail. The stamps were then
cancelled by defacing them with an inked
hand stamp to prevent re-use.The first stamps are
called
the Penny
Black. Since postage stamps had the aura of a security or
currency, the first stamps were printed by the firm of Perkins, Bacon
& Perch, who were bank-note engravers. The scrolled engraving
and the use of letters in the corners of the stamp were intended to
make forgery difficult. The first stamps were sold on May 6, 1840, and
were successful almost immediately.

At the same time, stationery
imprinted with stamps was also sold. The first were ornate envelopes
and wrappers (used to wrap items like newspapers). Such items are
called "Mulreadies" after their designer, William Mulready. The
Mulreadies did not meet with the success that greeted the adhesive
stamps and were soon discontinued.

Stamp collecting began almost immediately. The earliest
citation is an advertisement in the London Times in 1841 by a young
woman seeking help in finding enough stamps to paper her dressing room!
Later, after a greater variety of stamps had been issued, stamp
collecting became very popular. One of the great collectors, J.B.
Moens, began collecting in Belgium in 1848. By the 1860s, collectors
could be found throughout the civilized world. Moen's collection
reached 10,400 different items by the start of the Franco-Prussian War
in 1870. It was believed to be within 50 items of being complete with
all stamps ever produced.

* Words in red are defined in the Glossary
section - see link under Outline at right.